


The Impossible Possible a.k.a. Steve, Bucky and Loki get Handfasted

by kuzibah



Series: Loki in Furs [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Baking, Children, Daisy Chaining, Death Metal, Dogs, Domestic, Family, Fashion & Couture, Group Sex, Handfasting, King Thor (Marvel), Lammas, Marriage, Multi, Picnics, Threesome - M/M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:54:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25660192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuzibah/pseuds/kuzibah
Summary: Today's the big day (see title)! Loki's followers pull out all the stops with feasting, entertainment, and a few surprises.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Loki/Steve Rogers
Series: Loki in Furs [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1155875
Comments: 9
Kudos: 32





	The Impossible Possible a.k.a. Steve, Bucky and Loki get Handfasted

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little one this time, but I hope you enjoy it. And I realize this is really about missing my conventions, reunions, picnics, and festivals, but it helped, actually. Next year in San Diego, my nerds.
> 
> Anyway, this is the latest in a series. It could probably be read alone, but you might miss some of the jokes. Enjoy!

**“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.”**  
– Ursula K. Le Guin, _The Lathe of Heaven_

+++

“Some of the zealots are headed this way.”

Steve looked up at Bucky from where he and Loki were splashing with the children in their kiddie pool. 

“What’s a zealot?” asked Sarah.

“It’s a word we don’t use because it’s reductive,” Steve said.

“What’s reductive?” said Valdr.

Steve sighed. “It means it hurts people’s feelings,” he said, and the twins both turned to Bucky with matching frowns of disapproval. Bucky crossed his arms and huffed.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” he said. “Some of Loki’s _followers_ are coming for a visit.”

“Yes, it’s probably about the upcoming festival,” Loki said, rising and climbing out of the pool. He waved one arm and was dried and changed from his swimming trunks to his usual tunic and leggings in an instant. Another wave and Bucky’s cargo shorts and t-shirt became a brightly-colored speedo and rasher. “Splash around with the little ones, James,” Loki told him. “It’s too hot to be working.”

Bucky gave another exasperated huff, but did climb into the pool. The children all cheered excitedly and splashed towards him, their disapproval already forgotten, and Bucky roared playfully as he tossed them around in the water. 

Loki met his followers in the side yard, near the vegetable garden. The year before Steve had built a grape arbor with a garden bench, and Loki waited there as the three congregants, one man and two women, approached him carrying a large basket. Smiling, they knelt before him, heads bowed.

The older of the two women, Britt, removed a bundle of flowers from the basket and extended them towards Loki. “Ancient one,” she said, “we come to you humbly and in your service.”

Loki leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “I welcome you, my children” he answered, taking the flowers from her. Britt lifted her head, still smiling, and Loki took her hand and guided her to sit beside him. The other two, a couple in their twenties named Mats and Lis, sat back on the grass. Lis pushed the basket a little closer to Loki.

“Everyone’s so excited for Lammas,” she said. “Some of us didn’t want to wait so we put some treats together for you and your family. There’s bread, and jam, and fresh fruits and herbs.”

“And Kare got a wild boar out hunting,” Mats said. “He smoked the meat and sent the most tender cut.”

Loki gave each of their hands a squeeze. “I am very pleased by these gifts,” he said. “You have all been very generous.”

“Wait until you see the festival next week,” Britt said. “You wouldn’t believe the number of people planning to come.”

Loki began to weave the flower stems together. “I expect it will be everyone from the church,” he said. “Anetka, Rusa, Markus and Geori, Jørn and Mette…”

“Of course, all of us,” Britt said, “but they’re coming from all over Europe, and the U.S. and Canada, too. Leo has cordoned off the sheep pastures, so they can camp and park their caravans, and every inn for 100 kilometers around is completely full.”

Loki’s hands stilled for a moment. “Indeed?” he said. “How many..?”

“At least five hundred, perhaps many more,” Britt said, excitedly. “We all wish to honor the day of your handfasting!”

Loki glanced back to where his family was playing. “Child,” he said calmly. “We expected something simple, a few dear friends only…”

Britt’s face crumpled. “Lord Loki, I thought…”

Loki’s hand darted out to catch hers, and he began backpedaling furiously. “No, no, my dear, I am only surprised,” he said. “It is a great honor, for me and Steve and James. I am very pleased.”

Britt smiled, relieved. “It will be an amazing festival, you’ll see. We have so many things planned for you.”

“And I wish to hear all about them,” Loki said. “Just… it _is_ only the church? Such a sacred event should not be interrupted by outsiders.”

“No, no, of course,” Britt assured him. “We are still celebrating the harvest. It will be our usual feast and games, just… bigger.” 

“Very good,” Loki said, and began weaving the flower stems again. “Tell me what you have planned.”

+++

Steve looked over from roughhousing with the children as Loki came around the corner of the house, changing back into his swim trunks. “All the plans coming together?” he asked.

Loki leaned down on the edge of the pool, frowning in consternation. 

“What’s wrong?” Steve said. 

Loki looked up, still frowning. “I fear my congregants may have gotten a bit carried away,” he said. “Our plan for a quiet and simple ceremony may not come about.” His brows furrowed in worry. “I’m sorry, my loves, but they seemed so excited, and they want to make it special.”

“And it will be,” Steve said reassuringly. “They really do love you, Loki, and if they want to go a little overboard on your wedding day, I’m fine with that.”

Loki gave a small smile. “I thank you, my beloved,” he said. “It will be memorable, that’s certain. And five hundred witnesses should satisfy your desire for public consecration.”

Bucky looked up sharply. “Five…” he said faintly, but with a whoop, Loki was vaulting into the pool, and the children shrieked with glee.

+++

“Hold still, now, Rosebud,” Loki said soothingly as he brushed Sarah’s long, blonde hair. “I’ll have this braided in no time, and then you can wear the headdress Anetka sent for you.”

Sarah held out the little white pinafore that accessorized the traditional embroidered dress she was wearing. “Is this what you wore on Asgard?” she asked.

“Not exactly,” Loki hedged. “You would have worn a long skirt like that, but this dress is Midgardian, specifically Norway, our home here. It’s what children wore in the past.”

Steve and Bucky came in with Valdr and Afi, the boys also dressed in traditional red and black suits. “Oh, don’t you two look so smart,” Loki crowed. “Anetka and Rusa will be so pleased.”

“Thank you, Faðir,” the boys chorused. Loki quickly divided Sarah’s hair into neat plaits. “James, my darling,” Loki said, “would you very much mind fetching the children’s wagon from the garden shed?”

“Nope,” Bucky said, and he bounded down the stairs.

Loki took in Steve’s more Asgardian outfit, complete with light armor and cape. “You will not be too hot, Steve?”

“No, there’s a good breeze in from the ocean,” Steve said. “Bucky went a little more casual, though.”

“It matters not, in truth,” Loki admitted. “I can always change your garments, if you wish.”

“True.”

Loki secured Sarah’s braids neatly around her head, then fitted the headdress on top. “There we are,” he said. “Now mind you all stay neat and tidy at least until the ladies see you, and I shall change them into your play clothes later. Now, who wants to help me pick apples for the festival?”

“Me!” all three children cried, and they followed Steve and Loki downstairs and into the garden, where Bucky waited with the large wooden wagon under the apple tree. The family dog, Knut, waited beside him. Loki raised, then lowered his hands, and the tree’s branches dipped down low so the children could pick the shiny red apples and pile them into the wagon. Another gesture of Loki’s fingers, and several laden boughs swung over to the wagon themselves to deposit the fruit there, and in no time the wagon was stacked high.

“Well done,” Loki said, and the tree returned to its majestic glory. “All of you. Shall we go?” And together they pulled the wagon up to the road.

It was a short, pleasant walk in the direction away from the town to the site of the festival, a farm owned by Leo and Ulla, who had once been in theatre but had retired with what was rumored to be a considerable nest egg. It was doubtful they even broke even at their agricultural endeavor, a mix of animals Ulla clearly thought of as pets and a few small patches of vegetables, but they didn’t seem to mind, even renting land for next to nothing to Anetka as a nursery for her trees and shrubs. They also hosted several summer festivals for the church.

As the family approached the farm, though, it was clear this was not to be like other gatherings. They were still about a quarter mile from the farm’s main drive when they encountered cars parked along both sides of the roadway, and people they didn’t know also walking. Some were dressed in white robes, and others in approximations of the clothing the Asgardians were wearing at their colony in Australia. Almost all had crowns of flowers on their heads.

Knut began to pace excitedly, and Bucky slapped his thigh twice, bringing the dog back to heel. As they drew closer to a couple in robes, the followers went down on one knee at Loki’s approach.

Loki stepped over to them, and the woman peeked up at him. “Praise to you, Lord Loki,” she said. 

“Thank you, my child,” Loki said. “Come, rise, walk with us.”

Smiling, the couple rose, and Loki squeezed their hands, then Loki led them back onto the road and handed them each an apple from the wagon. They bowed their heads again, murmuring words of gratitude and praise.

As they walked, this ritual was repeated as they met other followers, and by the time they entered the festival, a crowd of about twenty-five surrounded them, and they quickly drew the attention of the rest of the attendees. The crowd began moving towards them, and Steve and Bucky gathered the children in close between them, ready to pick them up if things got too rowdy. Loki held out his hand to Steve.

“My love,” he said, “help me climb onto the wagon,” and Steve spotted him as Loki stepped lightly up, one foot balanced on each side.

The crowd began cheering, and here and there some chanted Loki’s name. Loki raised his index finger to his lips and made a soft, “shhhh.”

The crowd immediately grew quiet and still. 

“My children!” Loki announced. “I implore you. Have care! There are little ones among you, and those who are less fleet and nimble. The day will be long, and I promise you, I will hear you all. So please, have patience and enjoy the fellowship of your sisters and brothers. And all of my blessings on you!”

The crowd cheered again, but came no closer, and Steve took Loki’s hand again as he stepped down. A line began to form, and Loki started handing out apples as supplicants knelt, grateful, and said words of thanks. At last, everyone seemed satisfied and moved off, although Steve noticed the wagon was still as full as ever.

“So,” Loki addressed his children. “Shall we go find Anetka? They should be making the bread by now.”

“Yes,” they all cried together, and the family began walking towards a large, open tent. Anetka came out to meet them when she saw them approach, her camera phone at the ready. 

“Look at you!” she crooned. “Don’t you all look lovely. Now look at me. Smile!”

Several photos later, they entered the tent, where the bread-making demonstrations were underway. Hedda, a young mother who they often saw with her children when they visited one of the playgrounds, served as their guide.

“Lammas, the name for this festival, comes from the word for loaf,” she recited. “It celebrates the first harvest, especially grains, so the centerpiece of the Lammas feast is bread.”

She indicated the first station, where several young people were grinding wheat in a stone hand-mill to make flour. “Yeast is what makes our bread rise, and for Lammas, we use a dough starter that has been growing for at least one-hundred and sixty years, possibly much longer, what we call the mother bread.”

“Lord Loki!” called a tiny, wizened woman doling spoonfuls of dough starter from a large, earthenware pot. They knew from years past it had descended from a starter used by her grandmother, and possibly going back generations further. She had given it out over the years to anyone who asked, and now home-baked sourdough in the region had its own distinct pedigree. 

“Runa, my dear child,” Loki called back, and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. “Thank you again for the gift of your knowledge to us.”

The old woman’s smile lit up her face. “Of course,” she said. “I love sharing my bread. Some of these young people are making Lammas bread for the first time this year.” She looked over at Sarah, Valdr, and Afi and coo’ed warmly. “It won’t be long before yours are ready to learn.”

“They couldn’t ask for a better teacher than you,” Loki said, and squeezed his hand gently. 

“The bread is kneaded and set to rise,” Hedda told them as they continued the presentation, and she gestured to a row of bowls covered with tea towels. At a table nearby, one boy was mixing dough in a bowl, and another boy and girl were shaping raised dough into small, round loaves and decorating them with seeds and herbs and braided dough. The loaves were then carried to a stone oven outside the tent and slid inside to bake. 

The children ran, excited, to the table beside the oven, where the little loaves were set to cool. 

“May we have some bread, please?” Sarah asked politely. 

“Yes, please?” Valdr echoed.

“Bwead, pwease,” Afi said, reaching out one hand.

The man tending the oven, an enormous bearded fellow named Lasse who was also known for his brewing, fixed the children with a mock-stern look. “And why should I give you bread, my young misters and miss?”

“To share the blessings of the harvest,” Valdr answered primly, and Lasse laughed.

“Well said,” he told them, and passed them each a warm, sweet, honey oat roll. The children thanked him and immediately took bites, and Lasse handed herb-and-garlic loaves to Steve and Bucky, and a rustic loaf decorated with an elaborate plaited design symbolizing the sun to Loki. He also slipped a slightly overdone bun to Knut.

“Blessings to you,” Loki said, and Lasse bowed his head in thanks.

“He reminds me of my brother’s friend Volstagg,” Loki ruminated as they wandered towards a field where groups were engaged in various games and contests. Children ran foot races and played tug-of-war. A little further off, away from the crowds, there was archery and the increasingly-popular axe-throwing. And on several neatly-chalked rectangular pitches, teams were playing a game with wooden figures and batons called Kubb.

“May we play now, Faðir?” Sarah asked, and Loki sighed, then smiled resignedly. “Very well,” he said. “Come here and let me change your clothes.” With a few passes of his hands, the children were clad in play clothes, shorts and t-shirts. “Stay where I can see you,” he reminded them, and Sarah and Valdr ran to play with other children their age. 

“Did you want to play some Kubb?” Loki asked Steve and Bucky, and the two of them glanced at one another. 

“Er, what did _you_ want to do?” Steve asked.

“I thought I might spread a blanket out over there and watch you,” Loki said. “And Afi can play there, too.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Bucky said, not waiting to be asked twice.

They set Loki up under a tree where he conjured and spread a blanket, then drew several of Afi’s toys and Knut’s water bowl through a portal to keep them occupied. Afi began sorting through his plastic cars at once, and Knut hunkered down next to him, and Loki stretched out, propped on his elbows. 

Steve and Bucky strolled down to the gaming fields, trying to look casual, but of course they were immediately recognized and challenged by a group of teenaged boys. Steve smiled genially, and Bucky nodded along, and then the game was on.

Loki could almost feel sorry for the boys, who were clearly outclassed and surely should have known better, if he didn’t know the story of the day they played Kubb against Captain America would be retold for years, undoubtedly in such a way as to suggest the score was much closer.

Afterward, Steve and Bucky rejoined Loki under the tree and enjoyed a few more apples as they watched Sarah and Valdr play a game Steve thought he might remember from his own childhood, where the children sat in a circle while one walked around and picked another child to chase them. 

After awhile, all the children seemed to tire of the game and began something anew, and Sarah and Valdr left them with a wave, to rejoin their family. 

“May we go see Ulla’s animals now?” Valdr asked. 

Loki glanced over at Afi, who had just eaten some apple slices and was now rubbing his eyes. “I think Afi might be about ready for a nap,” he said. “Why don’t you sit quietly for a few moments, and when he’s fallen asleep we’ll put him in the wagon and go.”

“I’ll rock him,” Steve offered immediately, and scooped the toddler up and cuddled him before beginning to bounce him gently in his arms. Loki tidied everything away, and by the time Afi was asleep, he’d folded the blanket into the wagon, which somehow now held a single basket of apples. Steve laid him down carefully.

Ulla’s barn was opened for visitors, and there were a few admiring her horses, goats, and some new additions, a pair of llamas. “Llamas for Lammas,” Sarah pointed out, and she and Valdr had a good long giggle. They then made their way to the paddock where Ulla had set up a little track for donkey rides. Ulla herself was there on horseback, and three donkeys followed on a lead attached to the saddle. Ulla led them on a winding path around haybales and barrels, then back to the barnyard gate, where waiting parents lifted their children down from the shaggy backs. 

“You got another donkey!” Steve noted to Ulla as he lifted Sarah, then Valdr, onto their saddles.

“He just showed up in the yard one day,” Ulla said, and Loki gave Bucky a sly smile.

“Of course, he gave me a bit of trouble until I had him gelded,” she went on, “but he’s quite a good boy, now.”

Bucky made a gurgling, choking sound, and Steve looked over, concerned, but Loki took the donkey’s gray muzzle between his hands. “It’s not a bad life for a poor, dumb jackass,” he said soothingly. “A clean stall, sweet hay, and a few hours light work every now and then. Not bad at all.”

The donkey blinked slowly, then dropped his head to crop a patch of clover near the fencepost. “Come on, now,” Ulla said, and clucked her tongue. Her horse started slowly forward, and the line of donkeys plodded behind.

“You okay?” Steve asked Bucky as he rejoined them, and Bucky nodded.

“Yeah, just…” Bucky said faintly. “It’s fine.”

Steve slid his arm around Bucky’s back reassuringly and after a moment, Loki did the same.

Ulla led her donkeys around the course and the twins waved to their fathers as they returned.

“May we go again, Daddy?” Sarah asked. 

“Oh, yes, please?” Valdr said.

“I’ve no objection,” Ulla said. “And there’s no one waiting.”

“Alright, then,” Steve said, “but then we have to give some other kids a chance. And it should be getting onto dinner by then.”

With a wave, the children set off again, and Steve took advantage of their momentary absence to give Loki and Bucky each a fond kiss.

“Of course, we can’t forget the wedding, either,” he said. “We’ll need to be in the grove before the meal.”

“How could I forget,” Bucky said. “I feel like it’s all I’ve heard about for weeks.”

“They’ll let us know when they’re ready, fear not, my loves,” Loki said. “Though we should change into our marriage clothes.”

Steve looked down at his outfit. “I thought this would be fine,” he said. “We’re trying to keep it informal.”

“And so it shall be, my beloved,” Loki insisted. “But, I confess, I have been daydreaming, of late, of this day, and I may have, ah, designed some beautiful outfits for us all. And, Steve, it is only my magic, mere illusions that will fade with the morning birdsong if you so wish.”

“Yes, okay,” Steve agreed, kissing Loki again. “I know it’s important to you, and you do have an eye for it. Who am I to deny you?” 

“And James?” Loki said hopefully.

“Sure, why not?” Bucky said. “I’m kind of curious what you’ve come up with, if I’m being honest.”

The children came back around, and Steve lifted them down. Bucky gave one last shuddering look at the donkeys, and then they set off for the grove.

Afi came awake almost as soon as they started moving and waved his arms, yelling, “up, Bucky, up!”

“Alright, Squirt,” Bucky said, lifting Afi up and onto his shoulders. “Watch the hair.”

They walked across the fields, which had only become more crowded. There was an open area where people danced in circles, weaving in and out and changing partners.

“Is this the sort of dancing you did on Asgard?” Steve asked Loki.

“No,” Loki replied. “There was court dancing, which was more formal and extremely boring, and, well, the sort of dancing I’ve done for you in more private circumstances, which was to honor the warriors, either before they left for battle or when they returned, and when they passed into Valhalla.” He smiled softly. “No, this is a bit like the ancient Midgardians did as a tribute to us.”

“So just like now,” Steve said.

Loki looked at him, surprised. “No, that was different.”

They had Bucky’s attention, now. “How was it different?”

“It was…” Loki shook his head. “They feared us, then. They gave tribute so their crops would not fail, their houses would stay standing, their children would not sicken and die.” Loki’s voice pitched deeper, an edge of bitterness cutting through it. “And so many of the Aesir reveled in it. Playing petty little games with these poor, helpless creatures. Not what Odin had in mind at all, to his credit. But then, I don’t think he expected Thor and I to become as attached as we did, either.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Steve said, putting an arm around Loki’s waist for a squeeze. “Get attached, I mean.”

Loki smiled fondly at him, then returned his attention to the dancing. “Yes, well,” he said. “This is much different. This is a community in my name. This is fellowship and caring for one another. It is a far better way to worship.”

“What are those flags?” Valdr piped up, and when they followed his pointing finger, they saw people at the edge of the field gathered in small groups with flags raised above them.

“I’ll bet they’re followers from other countries,” Bucky said. “Look, there’s the U.S. flag, and Canada further on.” 

“France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands,” Steve pointed out. “And the other Scandinavian countries there.”

Bucky laughed, delighted, while Loki stared, astonished, his mouth slack. 

“That’s Japan!” Bucky declared. “And Australia! Wait… Is that..?”

“BROTHER!” Thor’s shout carried across sixty meters and several hundred people, and then he was striding towards them. 

“Uncle Thor!” all three children shouted back, then Sarah and Valdr were off running and Afi was wriggling so excitedly he nearly fell off Bucky’s shoulders and was caught just in time. 

“Just a minute, Baby Boy,” Bucky scolded. “He’s coming.”

Thor was, indeed, scooping one twin into each massive arm and somehow managing to engulf the rest of the family in a massive hug when he reached them

“Brother!” Loki gasped. “What are you doing here?”

Thor laughed. “I’m here for your wedding, of course!” he said. “Did you think I would not be here?”

“I, uh, who invited you?” Loki said.

“I did,” Bucky said. “He’s your family, Loki.”

“How’d you contact him?” Steve asked.

“I wrote him a letter,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes. “King Thor, New Asgard, Australia, and an airmail stamp. I figured someone would know how to get it to him.”

“Just so, friend Bucky,” Thor agreed. “And I have come to rejoice with you.”

“Thor,” Loki said patiently, “it was not necessary…”

“Loki,” Steve interrupted. “It seems like half of Norway is here for you, but among the three of us, we have one extended family member, and I agree with Bucky. He should be here.”

Loki lowered his eyes and swallowed hard. “Of course, my beloved, you are right,” he averred, and he looked up and took Thor’s hands. “Welcome, brother. I am glad you could join us on this happy day.”

“As am I, brother,” Thor said fondly. “But I do have a request, and you are free to refuse, of course…”

“Yes, out with it, Thor.”

“May I participate in joining you together?” Thor asked, his eyes soft. “As king of Asgard it is my duty, but as your brother it would be an honor and a gift.”

Bucky and Steve looked to Loki for an answer and saw the dark god’s expression grow tender. “Very well, brother,” he said “It would be our honor, as well.”

“Yayy,” the children cheered together, and Thor’s laughter rang out over the assembly.

“Wonderful,” Bucky said. “Glad that’s settled. But we better get going or we’ll be late to our own wedding.”

Steve laughed, then announced, “okay, everyone grab a kid and let’s go. Thor, you bring the wagon and the dog.”

“Of course,” Thor said, slapping his thigh to bring Knut to his side and trailing behind his brother’s family.

+++

The grove was a large, open clearing surrounded by tall evergreens. In the center there was a wooden structure that looked like the frame of a tiny house, hung with flowers and brightly colored ribbons. Incense burned in low stone braziers and there was firewood ready to be set ablaze in a wide, copper bowl.

“Alright, Sarah, Valdr, Afi,” Loki said, drawing their attention. “Your outfits first.” And he moved his hands over their heads. In moments, they were dressed in miniature versions of Asgardian court clothes, all white with threads of silver sparkling through. Even Knut sported a fluffy white bow on his collar.

“Now James,” Loki said, creating white leather armor and a sweeping cloak of white wolf fur. Next was Steve in a white velvet tunic slashed with small diagonal cuts to let the red and blue under-tunic show through, and a shimmering white satin cape. Last was Loki himself, also in white, an outfit similar in design to his usual Asgardian clothes, but with details that echoed Steve’s red and blue touches and Bucky’s fur and leather.

When he finished, they became aware of soft sighs and murmurs around them and looked up to see all of Loki’s followers surrounding the clearing, watching quietly. A few young men and women stepped out towards them, and Steve recognized them as some of the first followers to come to the house seeking Loki’s blessings. They carried crowns woven of pure, white blossoms and placed one on each of the family member’s brows. 

There was more excited murmuring, and Thor stepped into the grove accompanied by Anetka, the first of Loki’s followers and the closest the nascent religion had to clergy. Her thin, wrinkled hand was cradled in the crook of Thor’s arm, and they both wore radiant smiles.

“Lord Loki,” Anetka said reverently, reaching towards him. “Ancient one, singer of secret songs, confounder of oppressors, spinner of stories, succor to the outsider, I welcome thee into our presence.”

Loki smiled, delighted, and took Anetka’s hands, dropping a tender kiss on top of her head. “Anetka, my dear daughter,” he replied. “You have been the tender of flames and a path for my seekers, and I am grateful to be here with you.” He looked up to take in the crowd gathered in the trees. “With all of you!”

There was more murmuring, louder now, and Steve could make out people saying, “You bless us, Lord Loki,” “Hail to you,” and even a few “I love you”s. Loki raised his hands and the assembly grew quiet again. Anetka stepped over to the wooden structure and beckoned the family to follow her. Thor followed, gathering Sarah, Valdr, and Afi close to him, then dropping to one knee so he could be closer to eye level with them and whisper into their ears. A man stepped forward and lit the fire, then melted back into the crowd.

Anetka regarded Steve, Loki, and Bucky gravely. “Do each of you come to this place of your own free will?” she asked, and Steve suddenly wished they’d thought to do a rehearsal, like Tony. 

“I do,” Loki said, and Bucky and Steve echoed him.

“Do each of you come freely to be bonded in the covenant of marriage?”

“I do,” they said. 

Anetka nodded, satisfied, then turned to the thunder god. “Lord Thor,” she said, and the two exchanged places. 

“Friend Steve,” Thor began, giving him an intense look. “Do you so swear you will care for Loki and Bucky, regard them as your equals, and take sustenance from their love? Will your home be their home, their children your children, your tribesmen their tribesmen, and will you remain steadfast in your covenant to them, forsaking those who would displace them, that your house should grow in strength and love?”

Steve swallowed hard. “I will,” he said.

Thor nodded, then turned first to Loki, then to Bucky, and repeated the charge. Both solemnly intoned their agreement, and Thor exchanged places with Anetka again. The old woman gestured and a young man stepped forward with a long coil of cord, braided from brightly-colored ribbons, and handed it to her. “Grasp your left hands together,” she instructed, and they did, and she slowly began to wind the cord around their hands and wrists. 

“As this cord binds your hands,” she said, “may it bind your hearts, your fortunes, your lives, to one another. May the Norns reward you with a glorious destiny and heroic deaths, and may you meet again in Valhalla’s golden halls.” She tied the two ends of the cord into a knot, and a young woman stepped forward, bearing an elaborately-carved chalice.

“May the sweetness of this mead upon your lips ever echo the sweetness of your lives together,” Anetka said, taking the chalice and tipping it into each of their lips, allowing them to swallow a mouthful, and then handed it back. She laid her hands over their bound hands and chuckled.

“Now is normally the time when I call on the gods to bless the union,” she said, “but I suppose in this case, I can just ask. Lord Loki, do you bless this union?”

“I do,” Loki said, smiling.

“Lord Thor?” Anetka asked.

“Most assuredly,” Thor boomed. “I wish them prosperity, happiness, and many, many, little ones!”

“Thor!” Loki snapped, but there were ripples of laughter among the crowd, and Loki rolled his eyes. “Very well,” he concurred. “We shall see.”

“And with that,” Anetka announced, “I now declare you married!”

Around them, the crowd burst into cheers and applause, Knut barked happily, and Steve found himself laughing, unable to contain his joy. Anetka unwound the cord, and then he was kissing Loki, and Bucky, then both at once, and he was being hugged by Thor, and the children, and Anetka and the other attendants, and then Bucky was there again, his soft, full lips on Steve’s.

Steve opened his mouth, drinking him in, when he tasted… salt. Steve took Bucky’s face in his hands and drew back, saw the tears glittering in Bucky’s eyes.

“Bucky…” 

“It’s okay, Steve,” Bucky said, his voice thick. “This is just, well, it’s… It’s all I ever wanted. I’ve dreamed about this since we were kids… well, not _this_ , exactly, but you with me, and…” He gave a watery laugh that threatened to turn into a sob. “I just can’t believe it, Stevie.”

Instead of answering, Steve pulled him close and kissed him again, and then Loki was there, and he was dizzy with happiness as he kissed them both.

Somehow, in this haze of love, he floated back to the meadow, where long trencher tables had been constructed of sawhorses and wooden boards, and people were already seating themselves with a variety of chairs they’d brought with them. Crates and baskets and cardboard boxes were being lifted onto the tables, and containers of all kinds being unpacked. 

Steve and his family – his husbands, he thought giddily – were steered to the head table, where the six of them (plus Thor, Anetka, Ulla, and Leo) were seated along one side in carved wooden chairs. The places were set with beautiful china, silver, and crystal, and flowers were heaped along the table’s opposite edge. Two bowls with kibble and water for Knut were set on the ground alongside.

Anetka raised her hands for quiet and a microphone was produced and handed to her. She thanked everyone for coming, congratulated Loki, Steve, and Bucky again, to another round of applause, then gave thanks to the earth and the gods for the many gifts of the harvest. And then she declared the feast begun.

Bottles and jars and plastic containers were opened and doled out at every table, and a steady stream of Loki’s followers lined up to present him and the rest of the table with food for their meal. There was vegetable soup with barley, apples, berries, grapes, and fire-roasted chicken. There were fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds, and home-brewed beer and mead. And, of course, breads of every variety: oat and wheat and rye, mixed with fruits or herbs or cheese, and fashioned into every shape imaginable, all with jams and flavored butter to spread.

For once, Steve was glad of his serum-enhanced metabolism, allowing him to sample everything set before him, and Bucky and Loki were keeping up admirably, but Thor was putting them all to shame, and Steve watched with growing awe as the crowd began to pile all their available leftover food in front of him to see how much he could consume.

More than was available, it turned out, although at the end of the feast he patted his stomach, satisfied, and declared it a meal worthy of the palaces of Asgard. Loki rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly, and the crowd cheered for both demigods. 

By this time, it was starting to get dark, and fires began to be lit at the meadow’s periphery. Candles in jars appeared on the tables and an area was cleared in front of the wedding party’s table. Musicians gathered and began to play more of the folk music they had heard all day, and several young men and women in tight revealing costumes stepped up and began to dance. Soon, they were handed burning batons, and metal censers that hung from chains or were balanced on long wires, and they began to spin the fire around them in complicated patterns.

“What’s going on now?” Bucky whispered.

“This is to honor my brother as the god of fire,” Thor explained, as _sotto voce_ as it was possible for him to be. Bucky gave both aliens an incredulous glare. 

“God of fire? Since when?”

“You’ll have to forgive Bucky,” Steve said. “Once the army taught him to read, he didn’t have much time for classic mythology.”

“Shut up, Rogers,” Bucky said without turning. “I thought you were the god of mischief.” 

“That, too,” Loki said calmly. “Also storytelling, knots, spiders, several bodies of water and atmospheric phenomena… it’s actually an extensive list. I am a god, I can be many things at once.”

“This is true,” Thor confirmed. “For example, I am known as the god of thunder and the associated storms, but I also rule over good weather, as well as fertility, children… as Loki says, it is an extensive list.”

Bucky gaped. “How did I not know this?”

“Well, it’s not like we’re involved in day-to-day management,” Loki said tartly. “Now be quiet, my darling, and watch the dancers.”

+++

After the dancing, a number of ice cream vans drove up into the meadow and began distributing cones to all in attendance. Steve and Loki and Bucky gathered up the children and began to walk towards them, when the truck attendants all began yelling to get their attention. 

“Lord Loki, come! Chocolate raspberry!” “Salted caramel!” “Sweet cream and peaches!” “Try mine!” “Try mine!” “Lord Loki!” 

In the end, they were compelled to at least taste all the ice cream (handmade, every one, they were assured) and then they begged Loki to pick his favorite. He demurred for several minutes, then finally admitted he had a fondness for mint chocolate chip, to more cheers.

The microphone found its way to Ulla next, and she explained the festivities would be concluded with a concert in the meadow for the adults and a movie in the barn for the children.

“And here I must take my leave, brother,” Thor said sadly. “I am expected back in New Asgard.”

“Thank you for coming, Thor,” Loki said sincerely. “I’m glad to have you here.”

“It is not the first of your weddings I have attended,” Thor said, “but I daresay it will be the last. And for that reason, I am honored to be here.”

The brothers embraced at that, then Thor hugged Steve and Bucky, and (more gently) each of the children in turn, promising to visit again soon. And then, spinning Stormbreaker, his new weapon to succeed Mjolnir, to carry him, he took to the sky.

Sarah, Valdr, and Afi left excitedly with the other children, along with older teens who had offered to look after them and a few parents willing to chaperone. Knut bounced along with them. 

As the band set up to play, it was immediately clear this was not to be dulcimers and recorders, as earlier. Instead, a flatbed truck drove out to them, and the band began setting up a drum kit, electric guitars, lighting equipment and speakers. A backdrop with the band’s name was strung up, although the lettering was so stylized and distorted it took Steve a long moment to make it out: Fenrir’s Bastards.

“What are they like?” Steve asked Loki.

“Something called death metal,” Loki said airily. “They sent me some of their little films.”

Steve raised his eyebrows. “ _Death metal_? Does it sound like something we’d like?”

Loki gave a small snort of laughter. “No, I am certain you would not,” he said. “I should have thought of that. Do you wish for me to lessen the sound for you?”

“If you don’t mind,” Steve said, and he felt the tingle of Loki’s magic around him. 

“Yeah, me, too,” Bucky said, and Loki waved his hand again.

The band began tuning up, and the crowd began gathering around. The lead singer beckoned Loki to join them, and Steve and Bucky lifted him gracefully up to the stage. The crowd cheered and surged forward, and Steve took an involuntary step closer to Bucky. The feeling of the crowd had started to shift, and though Steve didn’t feel any danger (yet) it felt like something restrained had been suddenly set free. 

The followers around them were louder, gestured more broadly, and many seemed to have shed and loosened their clothing. Hair that had been plaited now hung free, damp with sweat. In the darkness beyond the stage lights, Steve caught glimpses of naked bodies writhing against one another. 

Loki began to address the crowd, and even unamplified, his voice carried across the gathering. Steve shuddered; even though he knew Loki was now a very different man, Steve was reminded, just a little, of the first time he had seen him in Stuttgart.

“My children!” Loki said, his voice commanding their attention. “We are here tonight to celebrate the gifts of the earth. But more than that, we are here to take joy from one another, to come together as a people united by our love for one another, and to take pleasure in our unique differences.”

Bucky took Steve’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “It’s okay,” he whispered in Steve’s ear. “It’s all part of the show.”

Steve looked up at Loki, saw that his face was set and calm.

“This is a night for you, my children,” Loki continued. “For all of you!”

With that, the band began playing, and even with his hearing muffled, Steve recoiled from the harsh, discordant sound, the singer literally screaming into the microphone.

“Jesus!” Bucky exclaimed. “This makes the shit Tony listens to sound like Bing fucking Crosby!” Steve couldn’t disagree.

On the stage, Loki raised his arms in front of himself, closed his eyes and tilted his head back. The crowd was now building to a frenzy, seeming to move and throb as one body, and Steve could see flashes of breasts and backsides in the pulsating lights as more clothing seemed to be vanishing.

“What the hell is happening?” Bucky said close to Steve’s ear, and Steve shuddered again.

“I have no idea,” he replied.

“And now, my children,” Loki said, his voice undoubtedly enhanced by magic to carry over the noise of the band, “I give myself to you!”

The crowd rushed in as Loki threw himself off the stage and caught him on their hands, held above their heads. Steve and Bucky both started forward, ready to tear people apart if it seemed Loki was in danger, but the mass buoyed him gently, rolled him onto his back so he could be carried, his arms spread wide, like a leaf on a rivulet of water. 

Bucky jumped onto the stage, so he could watch from above, and Steve tensed until Bucky gave him a small nod, indicating all was well. 

Loki was passed slowly, carefully, person to person, his hands and the sides of his face brushed with reverent fingertips, moving above the congregation’s heads until everyone had taken the touch they needed, and then he was gingerly lifted back upright onto the stage, into Bucky’s strong hands.

“Are you alright?” Bucky asked fervently.

Loki looked surprised by the question. “Of course,” he said, then turned back to face his followers, now screaming as loudly as the band.

“And now,” Loki announced, “let the wild rumpus begin!”

And the crowd, mostly naked now, fell on one another in a seething mass of carnal desire.

“Alright,” Loki said to Bucky and Steve as he climbed down from the stage. “Now it’s time to go.” And he put his arms around their shoulders and practically swept them out of the meadow. 

Steve looked over his shoulder and almost immediately wished he hadn’t, finally understanding the unspeakable sights that had turned Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt.

“Okay, Loki, just what the hell was that?” Bucky demanded. “That’s a pretty far cry from last year’s flashlight tag.”

Loki managed to look a tiny bit remorseful at Bucky’s outburst. “I should have warned you,” he agreed. “But I did not imagine it would get out of hand so quickly. I forget how different Midgardians can be.”

“That was certainly different,” Steve said, rubbing his forehead. “I may never be able to look Anetka in the eye again.”

Loki gave a low chuckle. “She is aged, not dead.”

“Okay, fair enough,” Steve allowed.

“Oh, Jesus,” Bucky groaned. “Were all of them..?”

“Not all,” Loki said. “Many left early. Anyone underage was to be sequestered in the barn for the children’s party. And some simply did not wish to participate.”

“I’m going to choose to believe no one we know wished to participate, then,” Bucky told him.

“Well, I did see…” Steve began, but Bucky cut him off. 

“No. One. We. Know.”

“Agreed,” Steve said.

“And really, Loki?” Bucky continued, aggrieved. “Did you really have to defile ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ like that? It’s Afi’s favorite.”

“It was only meant to be a joke for the two of you,” Loki said. “If it troubles you so, we can just pretend this never happened, as Stark would say.”

“Yeah, I expect Tony _would_ say that,” Bucky said. “He’s his own mobile disaster area two days out of three. But fine. We’re never discussing this again.”

“Very well,” Loki agreed primly.

“Did you cast some sort of love spell?” Steve asked. “Is that why they all went nuts like that?”

“Steve! What part of ‘never again’ are you not getting?”

“Shut up, Bucky, I just want to know.”

“I did not,” Loki averred. “That was all unbridled human passion. It is rather startling what you all are capable of without normal rules to bind you.”

“Yeah, true,” Steve said.

“Is that it? Are we done?” Bucky demanded testily.

“Yeah, we’re done,” Steve said.

They reached the barn, and were met by some of the chaperones, who led them inside to the children. A few dim lamps kept the interior from complete darkness, and the children and many of the teens were sleeping on blankets spread over soft piles of hay. Sarah, Valdr, and Afi rested together, and Knut curled beside them, protectively. As Steve, Loki, and Bucky approached, the dog raised his head eagerly and began to thump his tail, but Loki raised a finger to his lips, and Knut stilled, looking over at the children as though he understood the warning.

Steve gathered Sarah into his arms, her blonde head nestled into the crook of his shoulder.

“Hi, Daddy,” she said sleepily, only coming awake a little bit.

“Hey, there, Pumpkin,” Steve said. “How was the movie?”

“Good,” she told him. “The two brothers went on an adventure. The big one was funny. And they were blue like us.”

“That sounds very good,” Steve whispered. 

“We can watch it again tomorrow, maybe?” she asked hopefully.

“I don’t think they’re showing it tomorrow, sweetheart.”

“MAMA can get it,” she yawned.

“Yes, I’m sure she can,” Steve agreed, but Sarah was drifting off again.

+++

“If you like it, there is no reason for me to send it away,” Loki said as Bucky admired his wedding clothes in their long closet mirror.

“It’s really gorgeous,” Bucky said. “I have no idea where I’ll wear it again…”

“We shall find a reason,” Loki said, and he carefully removed and hung his own outfit.

Steve entered from the bath, toweling his hair dry and with only another towel around his waist. “Oh, that’s better,” he sighed. Bucky nodded to Loki, who exited to the bath himself.

“That was a great day,” Steve said, “but I’m bushed. How about you?”

Bucky had begun hanging his clothes, lingering a moment to stroke the butter-soft leather and thick, silky fur. Then he turned to Steve, chuckling.

“We’re not going to consummate the union?” he asked. “You sure you want to wait on that?”

Steve, now in a pair of light pajama shorts, fell groaning into the bed. “Bucky, I really don’t think you can argue we haven’t ‘consummated’ enough for a thousand unions. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“It’s okay, Stevie. I’m just fooling with you.”

Loki re-entered, then, having dried himself with magic and completely naked, and Bucky ducked out. Loki slid into the bed alongside Steve and draped an arm across his waist. 

“Mmm, you smell nice,” Steve slurred sleepily.

“I thank you, husband,” Loki said, smiling, and Steve opened one eye. 

“I like the sound of that,” he sighed, smiling back, and closed his eyes again for just a moment.

When he opened them, the sun was starting to lighten the windows, just before dawn. He glanced at the clock: not quite five. He looked over to find Loki still stretched beside him, arm still over Steve’s waist, and Bucky curled against Loki’s back, his hand on Loki’s hip and his face nestled in the fan of Loki’s hair. He was watching Steve with half-lidded eyes, the slightest smile curving his lips.

“We’re married, Stevie,” he whispered very softly, and Steve felt himself smile uncontrollably. 

“We really are, Buck,” Steve whispered back. “I never thought it would happen.”

“I know,” Bucky whispered. “As long as we all shall live.”

“Please do not whisper on my account,” Loki said, not opening his eyes. “Or do. It’s actually rather charming.”

“Sorry,” Steve said. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“You didn’t,” Loki assured him. “Not really.” He opened his eyes and slid up on one elbow, leaning into Steve and giving him a slow, deep kiss. “Good morning, husband,” he said when he pulled back, then he shifted and rolled over to give Bucky a similar kiss and greeting.

“So gorgeous,” Bucky murmured, stroking Loki’s face with the back of his hand. “You and Steve both.” Bucky leaned back, propping himself on his pillows and folding his hands behind his head. “Why don’t you kiss him again while I watch you?”

Loki and Steve both grinned at the prospect, then leaned back towards one another, kissing more deeply now, tongues tangling together. Loki nipped gently at Steve’s lower lip, and Steve groaned, open-mouthed.

“Just like that,” Bucky sighed, leaning in now and pressing a line of licks and kisses down the side of Loki’s neck. “Keep going,” he rasped. “Want… want to see how beautiful you are together.”

Loki and Steve did keep going, while Bucky continued his careful oral exploration over Loki’s shoulder and down his flank to his hip. “Gonna roll you onto your back, now, baby,” he said. “Stevie, don’t you stop.”

“I won’t,” Steve gasped between kisses, and he followed Loki as he was turned, drawing needy cries from the alien as he chased his tempting mouth.

And then Bucky sank his lips down over Loki’s straining cock, and Loki keened as his back arched, pushing himself further into Bucky’s mouth. 

“Yeah, Buck,” Steve said encouragingly, and Loki cried out.

“Take him,” Loki gasped, then. “Take him into your mouth, and I will take you.”

Bucky swallowed, causing the back of his throat to clench around the head of Loki’s cock, and Loki’s back arched again. 

With one last kiss, Steve turned himself in the bed, taking hold of Bucky’s hips with both hands. He nuzzled his face against the thatch of dark hair at the base of Bucky’s cock, then licked a long stripe up the length of it. Bucky gave a frustrated grunt around Loki’s member, and the demigod’s hips bucked up. “Steve, please,” Loki begged, and Steve relented, taking Bucky’s cock into his mouth and beginning to work it with his lips and tongue.

He felt Loki’s long fingers grasp his thighs, maneuvering his body closer, his cock now at a more amenable angle, and then he felt it sink into the oddly cool wetness of Loki’s mouth.

It was a strange, but highly pleasurable sensation to join with his lovers – husbands, he corrected himself gleefully – in this way, each stroke or contraction or sucking action passed around the circle, amplified or cleverly modified as it returned, and passed along again.

To give pleasure to one, to receive from the other, and to see them coupled beautifully before your eyes, creating a loop that spun ever faster until they all seemed to climax as one, and Steve felt Loki drink him down even as he swallowed Bucky’s unique essence, even as he watched Bucky lick Loki clean, greedily, like a child with a stick of candy. And then they rolled back, and Steve felt his head cushioned on Bucky’s muscular thighs as he brought Loki down into his own lap, his fingers tangling in Loki’s dark locks. 

Steve peeked over to see Loki stroking his own fingers along the side of Bucky’s face, eliciting a pleased, sleepy smile, and Steve felt the tips of Bucky’s metal fingers gently massaging his scalp. Steve made a pleased little hum, grateful that Bucky was trusting himself more to use his prothesis for affectionate touch, something he hadn’t done at first and for a long time afterwards, but seemed to be doing unconsciously now. Steve knew he’d have to mention it eventually, but was content to wait for now.

“This is nice,” Bucky murmured. “We should definitely do that again sometime. I wasn’t sure the bed would be big enough.”

“Errr,” Loki began, and Steve and Bucky both raised their heads enough to confirm that, yes, the bed did take up considerably more space within the room.”

“That works,” Bucky noted, dropping his head back to Loki’s lap, and Steve, with a shrug, laid back, too.

+++

“Are you okay, Faðir?” Valdr asked, climbing into Loki’s lap.

Loki dabbed at his eyes with his shirt sleeve. “I am well, duckling,” he said. “Be troubled not.”

“Didn’t you like the movie, Faðir?” Sarah asked from where she was cuddled up against Bucky.

“I did, very much,” Loki assured her. “But the brothers put me in mind of myself and my own brother, and I…”

“Caught some feelings?” Sarah said cheekily. 

“Hey,” Steve warned gently.

“Your Faðir is just sentimental,” Bucky said. “As much as he tries to deny it.”

“I seem to remember a former relentless assassin openly weeping when a certain cowgirl doll was abandoned by the roadside,” Loki shot back.

“First of all,” Bucky said, “I defy _anyone_ …”

“Hey!” Steve barked. “It’s okay to have feelings, alright? Now, what do we say, kids?”

“Thank you, MAMA,” the three children chanted together.

“It was truly a pleasure, children,” the house A.I. replied warmly.

Steve had finally abandoned his resistance to engaging the program’s spoken-word interface about 48 hours into Tony and Pepper dropping out of communication for their honeymoon, when he realized his usual method for negotiating modern technology (a call to Tony) was not an option. While trying to type his question into a search engine, a box had popped up asking if he wanted to ask his question aloud, and the quickness with which the issue had been solved that way had pretty much guaranteed MAMA would be sticking around. Steve suspected the light Southern accent and motherly demeanor was based on someone in Tony’s past, the same way that JARVIS was based on an actual man named Jarvis that Steve had gathered once worked for the Stark family, but he couldn’t deny it was comforting, the aural equivalent of a cup of hot cocoa.

“Can we watch another one?” Sarah asked, and Valdr shouted “Frozen” at the same moment Afi yelled “Cars.”

“Not ‘Cars,’ Afi,” Valdr groaned. “You’ve watched it a thousand times.”

“Cars!” Afi insisted.

“Hold on,” Bucky said. “It’s almost bedtime. We aren’t starting another movie.”

“How about a short?” Sarah suggested.

“Two shorts!” Valdr said.

“If I may,” MAMA said, “there is a ‘Frozen’ short and a ‘Cars’ short which would run less than ten minutes together. You could watch both and the children would still be in bed on time.”

“Sold!” Steve said. “Load ‘em up.”

“Very w---” MAMA paused. “Excuse me, Captain Rogers, but Mr. Stark is calling.”

“Put him through,” Steve said.

A holographic screen opened to show Tony reclining on a lounge chair in the shade of a tropical cabana. In the background, Pepper was stretched out under some palm trees receiving some sort of massage.

“Hey. Tony, how’s the honeymoon?” Steve said cheerfully. “Still going strong, I see?”

“Hi, Uncle Tony,” the children called out, and Tony grinned and raised his sunglasses. 

“Hi, kids,” he said brightly. “What are you still doing up? Isn’t it, like, midnight there?”

“It’s eight-thirty p.m. Norway time, sir,” JARVIS cut in.

“Really?” Tony seemed genuinely surprised. “But listen, could you shorties let me talk to your dads alone for a minute?”

“Go up and get in your pajamas,” Steve told them, “then brush your teeth and come down and we’ll watch the cartoons before bed.”

“Okay,” they answered, hopping up from their seats.

“Make sure you help Afi,” Steve called after them as they bounded up the stairs, then he turned back to Tony. “What’s going on? Do you need us to handle some trouble?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Tony reassured him. “But Steve? How could you?”

Steve blinked in surprise. “How could I what?”

“After all we’ve been through,” Tony said. “I had to find out you’d gotten married from _JARVIS_.”

Steve felt his face flush with embarrassment, knowing he _should_ have told his friends, at least after the fact, but he only said, “how did JARVIS know?”

“I have him check the internet and alert me if there’s anything about any of the Avengers,” Tony said. “You know, see if there’s anyone a little _too_ interested in what we’re doing. Normally, it’s nothing; a few surreptitious shots of us getting coffee or waiting for a taxi. But then, this morning, two hundred Instagram posts – ‘Lord Loki weds, I was there,’ with photos of the whole fam looking like the royal family of Arendelle. I’m hurt. Really. You didn’t even give me a chance to send a gift.”

Steve felt properly ashamed, now. “It wasn’t supposed to be that big a deal, Tony,” he said. “Last year it was thirty people and a few rounds of horseshoes…”

“Not relevant…” Tony muttered.

“It’s not official or anything,” Steve went on. “I had no idea it was going to be such a huge turnout.”

“I don’t care about that,” Tony said.

He’s right, Steve,” Bucky said. “We should have told everyone. I didn’t think when I invited Thor.”

“You invited Thor and not me!”

“Please,” Loki said, getting to his feet and raising his hands. “In truth, Stark, it was meant to be completely private. After all the turmoil of our relationship, we wished for the wedding to really only be us three, and the little ones. Perhaps one officiant to say the words that bind us together. But I have followers to whom I am obligated, and so it became an occasion for their devotion to me, and I could not imagine the inclusion of heroic warriors who once fought against me to not occasion conflict, no matter that we are comrades-in-arms _now._ And so, I elected to keep the wedding a matter known only among my adherents. I did not anticipate… Instagram.”

“Well, okay, I suppose I can understand that,” Tony said, somewhat mollified. “But you have to let me make it up to you. We’ll all enjoy our respective honeymoons and then I’ll come see you, okay?”

“That sounds perfect, Tony,” Steve said, relieved at having avoided further discussion.

At that moment, the children barreled back into the room, asking for the cartoons to begin.

“Okay, thanks, everyone,” Tony said genially. “Munchkins, I’ll see you in a few weeks. Save a good cartoon for me.”

“Okay, Uncle Tony,” they told him. 

“Oh, and one more thing, Steve.”

“What’s that, Tony?”

“I’m _really_ sorry I missed that concert.” 

And with that the screen went dark and closed.

Steve choked and stuttered while Loki burst out in amused laughter.

“MAMA,” Bucky announced, “roll the film.”

**Author's Note:**

>  **A few words about Lammas:** The “Church of Loki” is loosely based on several modern pagan traditions, particularly Asatru. Although these traditions are rooted in ancient culture, they are not the end of an unbroken line through history from then to now, but are more of an interpretation or re-imagining of what we know about these old beliefs. (This is not a criticism in any way; modern Christianity is also practiced very differently that the first Christians would recognize.) 
> 
> Anyway, the pagan calendar has eight main holidays spaced throughout the year: the seasonal solstices and equinoxes, and the “cross-quarter” days, roughly halfway-between these intervals. Since these ancient people were tied closely to the land, and food shortages were a very real day-to-day threat, pagan festivals were rooted in the timing of the agricultural year, and there are three that specifically commemorate the harvest: Lammas, Mabon, and Samhain. (The names of these festivals come from Germanic or Celtic, btw, although they do go by other names, and in the old days would all have had different names in the local languages.) 
> 
> The first harvest, Lammas, is celebrated on or about July 31-Aug 1. This would have been the first time, probably since the late harvest the previous year, that the community would not have had the specter of famine hanging over their heads (assuming the growing season was normal), as the crops would all be ripening and harvesting could begin.
> 
> Since animals were usually not slaughtered until after they were “fattened up” in the late fall, Lammas would have been a primarily vegetarian feast, aside from maybe a few young roosters specifically raised for this purpose. Foods traditionally eaten are seasonal summer fruits and vegetables, especially berries, apples, fresh greens, mushrooms, onions, carrots, peas, tomatoes, peppers, peaches and other stone-fruit, yellow squash and zucchini and grains of all kinds. New, fresh flour, being available again, would be made into bread to form the centerpiece of the feast, particularly braided and shaped loaves in significant forms.
> 
>  **Kubb:** This is a fun outdoor game a friend introduced me to, sometimes called “Viking chess.” It’s the same principle as bocce or horseshoes, but with more brute strength involved. It’s fun!
> 
> Please leave kudos or comments. I really love them and appreciate them all.


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